What will he apologize for?
Johnson is expected to apologize at the inquiry, admitting the government was too slow to realize the severity of the virus and blaming a lack of preparation.
Will he admit he was too complacent in those early weeks? And is he going to apologize for his attitude towards the impact on older people?
The inquiry heard repeated evidence that Johnson thought too much emphasis was being placed on protecting them. At one point, the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, remarked that Johnson was “obsessed with old people accepting their fate and letting the young get on with life”.
Did he fail to take Covid seriously enough at the start?
There have been repeated suggestions that Johnson did not appreciate the dangers when fears about Covid began to mount at the start of 2020. One official has already told the inquiry he believes Johnson asked early in the pandemic: “Why are we destroying the economy for people who are going to die soon anyway?”
The former prime minister only chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency group in March. Even at the end of March, his diary suggests that he spent time meeting media mogul Evgeny Lebedev, whom he later made a peer. Matt Hancock said that locking down earlier would have saved “many, many lives”.
Was he on vacation at a crucial time?
Cabinet minutes revealed Johnson said “confidence is contagious” as he prepared to take a holiday in February 2020, just as scientists worried the NHS could be overwhelmed. Was he too confident in the decision to take a vacation in the same month that crucial discussions had to be made?
The inquiry was told Johnson had no communication with officials over a 10-day period during half term.
His former adviser, Dominic Cummings, also accused him of disappearing to write a book on Shakespeare for which he had already been paid. Johnson denies this.
Does he now regret the party culture in Downing St?
The partygate scandal has been covered up by previous investigations – accounts of “wine time” Fridays have been reported, and Johnson himself has been fined for breaking rules.
The Covid query heard more damning evidence about the culture of rule-breaking that existed in Downing St during the pandemic. Helen MacNamara, then a senior civil servant, told the inquiry it was likely that Covid guidance was being breached every day.
Ultimately, Johnson was the boss, and details of rule-breaking and drunken parties emerged after repeated denials that any rules had been broken.
Did Johnson get the science behind Covid wrong?
Among some of the extraordinary claims Cummings made in his testimony was a disturbing tidbit about Johnson’s understanding of the science behind tackling Covid.
Cummings said the former prime minister asked his chief medical and scientific advisers whether Covid could be eliminated by blowing a hairdryer up your nose – based on something he had seen online. Cummings describes it as a “low point”.
Vallance said Johnson last studied science at the age of 15 and “would be the first to admit it was not his forte”. He said he sometimes pretended to misunderstand to test an alternative.
Does he now admit that he said ‘let the bodies be piled high’?
Reports that the Prime Minister said the government should “let the bodies pile up” in autumn 2020 surfaced some time ago. Johnson previously dismissed them as “total rubbish”. However, the outburst gained more credibility after one of Johnson’s long-term allies, his one-time chief of staff Lord Udny-Lister, told the inquiry that Johnson did make the statement in the context that he wanted to oppose a third national lockdown. . Lister said he heard the angry outburst in a meeting in September 2020. He describes it as “an unfortunate phrase” used under intense pressure.
Has a toxic environment in his No 10 hampered the Covid battle?
It is already clear that there have been major clashes between officials and politicians during the pandemic. MacNamara said there was a “toxic culture” in operation. While Cummings (above) appears to have pushed for a tougher approach to Covid, he has also been accused of creating a toxic atmosphere, once referring to MacNamara as a “c*nt” and saying he wants to “handcuff her and escort her”. ” from Downing St. Lister said: “Some of the personalities made it very, very toxic … Dominic Cummings’ relationship with other people became very strained.” Why did Johnson allow that culture to continue?
Should he have acted to keep schools open earlier?
The closure of schools and the impact on children – especially from the most deprived families and areas – remains one of the main issues emerging in dealing with the pandemic. Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England during Covid, has already said that the government has made a “terrible mistake” about schools – with pubs and hairdressers emerging from the first lockdown outside schools. Meanwhile, Hancock argued that closing schools again in January 2021 could have been avoided if the prime minister had ordered an earlier closure that winter. Schools complained about a lack of resources to teach.
Does Johnson now think ‘eating out to help’ was a good idea?
The investigation also gives Johnson an opportunity to cause trouble for Rishi Sunak, who he blames more than anyone else for ending his premiership. Although this may not have had a significant impact on the overall course of the pandemic, scientific advisers to the government have made it clear that they consider “eating out to help” a bad idea that will help the spread of the virus . The scheme was set up by the Treasury. Ultimately, Johnson led the government that approved it, but any attempts to raise tough questions for Sunak will be noted with interest in Westminster.
Why didn’t he listen to scientific advisors earlier with a second containment?
In the fall of 2020, as Covid cases surged, Johnson invited figures opposed to lockdowns to a large meeting about a possible “circuit breaker” shutdown. In attendance were Carl Heneghan, an Oxford professor and lockdown critic, and Dr Anders Tegnell, who led Sweden’s response without including. WhatsApp messages now show government advisers in despair. There were concerns about Johnson’s approach. Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, wrote in September 2020: “He cannot lead and we cannot support him leading with this approach.”
